The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-05-14
AT OXFORD.
BY OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

If one wishes TO know the magic OF
names, let bin visit the places made men,
CRADLE by the lives Of the illustrious men
OF tue past in the Old World. AS boy
[ used TO read the poetry Of Pope, of
Goldsmith and Of Johnson. How could
look at the Bodlean LibrarS or wander
beneath its roof without recalling the
lines from "rhe Vanity of Human
Wiahes?"
when first the college roll receives his name,
The young enthusiast quits his ease for fame;
Resstless burns the fever of renown,
Caught from the strong contagion of the
gown;
Ger Bodley's dome his future labor spread,
And Baeon's mansion trembes DER his head"
The last line refers to Roger Bacon.
"Ihere is a tradition that the study OF
Friar Bacon, built on an arch over the
bridge, will fall when another man great
er than Bacon shall pass under it. To
prevent SO shocking an accident, it was
pulled down many years since." We
shall meet with q similar legend in another
university city. Many persons have been
shy OF these localities, who were in no dan
ger whatever of meeting the fate threat
ened by the prediction.
We passed through the Bodleian Libra
ry, only glencing at few OF its choicest
treasures, amoug which the exquisitely
illuminated rnissals were especially tempt
ing objects of study. 1t was almost like
mockery to see them opened and closed
without having the time to study their
wonderful miniature paintings. A walk
through the grounds OF Magdalene Col
lege, under the guidance of the president
OF that college showed us some OF the fine
trees for which was always looking. One
OF these, wych elm Scotch elm of some
books was SO large that 1 insisted on
having it measured. A string was pro.
cured and carefully carried round the
trunk above the spread OF the roots snd
below that of the branches, SO as to give
the smallest circumference. I was Gu
rious to know how the size of the trunk
of this tree would compare with that o.
the trunks of some of our largest New
England elms. I have measured COCO
many of these. About sixteen feet is the
measurement of large elm, like that OF
Boston Common which all middle-aget
people remember. From twenty-five t.
twenty-three feet is the ordinary maxi
mum of the very largest trees. I neve
found but one exceed it; that was tn
great Springfield elm, which looks as i
it might have been formed by the coales
cence from the earliest period Of growth
of two young trees. When I measured
this in 1887, it was twenty-four feet eigh
inches in circumference at five feet from
the ground, growing larger above an(
below. [ remembered this tree well, a
we measured the string which was to tel
the size of its English rival. As We CAM
near the end of the string, felt as di(
| when l was looking at the last dash o
Ormonde and The Bard at Epsom.-
Twenty feet, and long piece of string
left. Twenty one.-Twenty-t
ty-three.-An extra heart beat or two.-
Twenty -four Twenty five and six inche
overl- The Springfield elm may hav
grown foot or more since measured
it, fifty years ago, bat the tree at Magda
lene stands ahead of ell my old measure
ments. Many of the fine old trees, this il
particular, may have been known in thei
younger days to Addison, whose fsvorit'
walk is still pointed out to the visitor
May Atlantic.